Edge of a Knife, Barrel of a Gun
by Gil-dae
Summary: GWLOTR crossover, set after Endless Waltz. The Gundams went their own ways after the war, and for Duo and Heero, that meant finishing high school. But two exchange students from Wales come, exchange students that could change the pilots lives forever...
1. Chapter 1

My newest ficcy! Yes, it IS a GW/LOTR crossover, but it doesn't actually have to do with the War of the Ring or anything. I'm just borrowing the characters! Now, lets, see, what warnings do I have?

It is shounen-ai, and I don't doubt that there will also be yaoi in later chapters. If you don't like shounen-ai, then don't read this. Pairings consist of Legolas/Aragorn, 1x2, 3x4, and anything else my twisted little mind will want to think up! _-evil laughter- _So you'll just have to read and see!

The rating on this story will probably change, but for now, it is PG-13.

I know that there will be CHARACTER DEATH! Not telling who, but I warn you, you might have to see one of your favorite characters bite the dust.

So, if I haven't scared you off, read on!

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Edge of a Knife, Barrel of a Gun

Chapter 1

"Aw, shit, we're going to be late again!" Duo Maxwell stuffed books into his schoolbag, trying to close the zipper without catching any of the pages in it. He rushed away towards the back room of his apartment. He knew his shoes were here somewhere...

A hand reached out and grabbed an errant strand of hair. Duo yelped and spun around to face his roommate, Heero Yuy. He glowered at the boy.

"Your hair's unbraided," Heero pointed out. He lifted one hand to show Duo's shoes. "And here are these. Sit down and put them on; I'll get your hair." Duo fell into the nearest chair, blushing as Heero moved behind him and took up the long strands of hair. He slipped into his shoes and waited.

"Ouch, don't pull so hard!" Duo shouted. Heero grunted, softening his grip on the hair, allowing Duo a smirk. "Anyway, we _will _be late for school again at this rate. It's your fault my hair's unbraided in the first place!"

"Which is why I'm braiding it now, to fix that," Heero said. "So sit still and let me finish." Duo huffed, crossing his arms and legs. He looked around the small bedroom. Neat and orderly, as Heero liked it, at least, that was on the dresser nearest to Duo. Across the room was his own space, trashed by dirty clothes, sketchbooks, inventory sheets from his junkyard (sent dutifully once a week to him by Hilde, who watched the place), and somewhere in all of that a laptop. And beside that was Heero's and his bed. The sheets were unmade, coming off in the corners, and Duo noted that the mattress was a few inches off to the right. Duo rubbed his sleep-filled eyes again and turned back to Heero.

"Not enough time to sleep last night." Heero shrugged, reaching for a rubber band to tie Duo's braid.

"And whose fault is that?" he asked. Duo blushed again, his elf-like cheeks darkening to crimson.

"Well, it was you who insisted..."

"Come on, it's time for school," Heero said. He strode from the room, but waited for Duo outside. Duo wrapped his arm around Heero's waist, swinging his backpack onto his other shoulder. Together, they exited the small apartment.

As with most mornings, the pair waited at the bus stop, Heero lounging on the sign that announced the spot, and Duo pacing around, often times humming a tune under his breath to pass the time, or reading over notes to cram for a test he had learned about only that morning from Heero. But they did not have long to wait, this time. The bus pulled to the stop, and Heero and Duo clambered in, paying their fare before taking a seat at the back. It was not the normal bus they took, meaning they would be later to school, but it was the only one coming that could get them there in any reasonable time.

"Hey, mind if we sit here?" Duo asked. The man he addressed shrugged, gesturing to the seat.

"Sit if you like," he said. He measured Duo with an icy blue gaze. A strand of golden hair fell in front of his face, but he blew it away. "I do not see why there would be any problem." Duo shrugged and pulled Heero down with him.

"I can't believe this," Duo groaned. "First day of school and we're already going to be late!" He threw up his hands. "Well? Heero? You going to say anything?"

"This is a strange attitude, coming from you, since you never seemed to care much about school in the past. I thought you were an artist, meaning you don't need school." Duo sighed.

"Yes, but I don't want to get expelled either. Hilde would kill me if that happened." Heero chuckled.

"Hilde, eh?" Duo huffed and turned towards Heero.

"You know, sometimes you don't act like my boyfriend..." Heero grinned, one of his rare, mischievous grins, and wrapped an arm around Duo's waist. Crimson returned to Duo's cheeks, and Heero removed his hands with a laugh.

"As I thought," he said. Duo leaned back in sullen silence, beaten once more by Heero. He closed his eyes and let the workings of his mind go.

Today was the first day of school, and Duo's last year. He had been attending school now for one year, moving through it with minimal complaint, and his senior year had finally come, after those long months of waiting. Now he had only one hundred and eighty days to drag himself through before it was all over. College? Who needed college? He was returning to the colonies to run his junk shop, and Heero...well, who knew about Heero? Duo considered that he might continue schooling. He turned to face the boy beside him. No, Heero would probably pursue his other talents, when he found them. He just needed time right now, time to mull over his life and find his own path.

The bus stopped three more times, steadily gaining more passengers. Another man sat down beside the blond next to Duo, and they plunged into some conversation, but Duo paid them no heed. His mind had chosen the path of reminiscing, and he would continue until it was finished.

_Poor Heero, _Duo thought for not the first time. This was the kid's first try at life in many, many years. The first year went without hitches, and it even appeared that Heero would be adjusting to living a normal life on Earth.

"Oh well," Duo said. "That's just him, I guess."

"What were you thinking about me?" Heero asked, not lifting his head.

"Nothing!" Duo stammered. Damn his habit to think out loud.

"You had that look in your eye that you were thinking about me. But if you want to keep that a secret, then fine by me." Duo would have made some retort, but the bus had stopped in front of the school. Duo and Heero exited, followed by the blond man and his companion.

"You're going to this school?" Duo asked as they bus sped off behind them. The blond one nodded.

"Yes," he said. He indicated his friend. "Aragorn and I are transfer students from...Wales." Duo formed an "oh" with his mouth.

"So _you're _the new guys? Then you must be Legolas, right? Nice to meet ya! The name's Duo Maxwell, and ah, I guess I should introduce this guy too. His name's Heero, since he'll never speak up to tell you that on his own." Heero nodded his head in greeting, returned by both Legolas and Aragorn. The four ascended the steps to the school in silence. Duo cleared his throat.

"Looks like class has started," he noted. He turned to the right, down a long, winding corridor before stumbling upon a row of lockers. There was a large printed sheet containing the names and locker assignments. Duo skimmed them, but could not find his name. Just his luck; his locker was in another hall. Heero found his, situated close to the door to the computer lab, and began emptying his books. Duo, with Legolas and Aragorn in toe, headed to the next hallway.

"Probably your lockers are here too," he said. Duo skimmed the list. Sure enough, there was his name. He turned to the small metal box; a cruel contraption that was far too small (even though it seemed, to Duo, that since the school was so massive they would have enough room to put in larger lockers) and was never fully vacated after the last year. He looked at the small box on the front of the locker. The screen read, "Please insert password." Damn, damn, a password? It was only three numbers, at least, but Duo had created it at the end of last year. How was he supposed to remember? He scrambled through all the options, typing them in frantically and being greeted every time with a harsh "beep."

"This day is turning into hell. I hope this isn't what the whole school year's like." Hell...that's it. Duo smacked himself for being a fool before typing in the numbers "002." There was a click, and Duo opened his locker without opposition.

Duo threw his books inside without care. He pulled the schedule from the back of the locker, glanced it over, and sprinted down the hallway to his first class, calculus.

"I'm...sorry I'm late," Duo said between gasps of air. The teacher turned from the front of the class. He nodded to the empty desk at the front of the room, and Duo slid into it with a nervous laugh.

"I expect that tomorrow you will not miss thirty minutes of class, Duo Maxwell?" Duo shook his head. With a shrug, the teacher turned away from him and continued his lesson. Duo leaned back and listened with half of his mind. The teacher, Elrond (or at least, that was what everyone called him, and he seemed not to object), droned on about the subject matter of the year. His voice lulled Duo into a calming half-sleep. Hmmmm, in ten minutes he would head to art, one of his few classes with Heero. Then, free period, then lunch (oh, two free in a row, he was lucky), then another art (he finally got to double up on that), then a creative writing class, which he only agreed to with pressure from Heero, and after that was only computers and strings. It was his lucky year, being able to weasel his way out of a history and a science, but only because the teachers loved his artwork so much, and they didn't mind him helping in the computer class. He and Heero basically taught it themselves.

"Mr. Maxwell, are you listening to me?" Elrond asked. Duo snapped out of his reverie and smiled.

"Sure am," he lied. Elrond eyed him suspiciously. Duo rattled off the topics Elrond had just been discussing to prove his point. Elrond waved his hand, silencing the braided boy. Duo leaned back with a smirk and watched the clock beside him. One more minute. The second hand ticked...ticked...the bell rang. Chairs scraped on the floor, and Duo rushed to make it from the classroom before he was caught in a lecture by Elrond. He slipped around the doorframe and rushed down the hall to his next class.

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"Wow, Duo, that's splendid," the art teacher said. She looked over Duo's first drawing of the year, nodding to herself. "For just a sketch...this is outstanding. I've heard about your skills, but nothing like this." Duo beamed. He had done a drawing of Heero, as he leaned over his own work. And the teacher loved it, no matter if it wasn't the actual assignment of sketching the bowl of fruit on the table. "You will have to finish this," the teacher continued. Duo smiled.

"I will then, though I was considering trashing it..."

"Oh, don't do that. I'm sure that if you painted this one, you could snatch a nice price. I know I'd buy it from you, if you didn't want it." Duo's eyes widened in fake surprise. This was just what he planned.

"Well, maybe..."

"Let me see the finished work and then I'll name a price for you." She patted Duo on the shoulder before leaving him to his work. Heero looked up from his bowl of fruit and glowered.

"You don't even work on the assignment and the teacher praises you...along with money..."

"_You_ shouldn't be complaining. It's me who makes the money for us anyway, and I'll get it how I have to! Heh...if I keep this up, we'll be able to pay for a trip to the colonies by Christmas break." Duo plunged into his work, intending to complete the sketch so he could start work on copying it when the teacher's voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me, class? I would like to announce our transfer students for this year, Legolas...and Aragorn...they came from Wales and will be with us all of this year, they think. Why don't you two go sit down and get started? There should be some extra paper somewhere around here..." Duo looked up. The transfer students headed his way and sat down across from Heero and him.

"Get lost? Class is already ten minutes in." Legolas nodded.

"Yeah, we lost our way. So, are we copying that fruit there or..."

"It's just braid boy here that's doing his own thing. If you're good enough, the teacher lets you." Duo scowled at Heero. "But yeah draw those fruits."

"Braid boy, huh?" Duo retorted. "Well, at least you did speak, for once in your life." They lapsed into silence. Duo looked up from his work to say something, but as he took in his first look at Legolas he stopped. _What a perfect subject..._the flowing light gold hair, his shining ice-blue eyes, tall, lithe, but muscled all the same, with a wistful look in his gaze. Light seemed to radiate from him, purity, perfection. In fact, he was downright gorgeous. And his companion was no normal man either. Aragorn did not have as much grace but a rougher side to him, with wavy dark brown hair, tanned skin, and storm grey eyes. But even he would prove interesting to draw. And here they were, in one of Duo's art classes. This was perfect. Once he finished Heero, he could draw both of them...

"So, what's Wales like?" Duo asked. Aragorn shrugged, and Legolas stared out the large windows to his right.

"Beautiful. Not to say that America isn't, but there was something so magical about Wales, as if it was a link into another time, one that appeared..."

"Great," Aragorn muttered. "Now he's started on his Wales rant." He put a hand to Legolas' mouth. "If you really want to know what it was like, I'll tell ya. It was boring, just boring. Hills...hills, and more hills, with some trees and some sheep thrown in, well, lots of sheep, and nothing to do at all. I'm glad to be out of there." Legolas smacked Aragorn's hand.

"Don't listen to him at all. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He travels a lot so there's no time for him to appreciate the beauty locked in those rolling hills." Aragorn shook his head, causing Legolas to laugh. "Yes, he does not appreciate it."

"But there's nothing wrong with travel," Duo said. "It's weird. I used to...travel a lot, but I never went through Wales. Huh." Legolas sighed.

"You were missing out, then," he whispered. Heero looked up from his work for just a moment, curious about his lover's conversation with the new students, and almost let out a small gasp. Legolas was staring out the wall sized windows. The sunlight reflected in his hair, and his blue eyes shone. His pale skin glowed, shadows dancing across its surface.

"I've been to Wales," Heero said. "It is nice there." Duo opened his mouth to speak, instead just grinning.

"Well, it looks like Hee-chan can say something after all," Duo said. Heero glared at him.

"Don't use that name." Duo shrugged innocently, his round eyes narrowing.

"Well, it's just since you called me braid boy!"

"That's what you are, you and your little braid." Duo chuckled.

"Let's see, who was it that only last night was running his hands through that braid saying how much he loved it..."

"But mind you then I took it out!" Duo crossed his arms, looking down his nose at Heero.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you said you loved it..." Duo stopped, turned, and saw Legolas, clutching his stomach in laughter. Aragorn hid his mouth behind his hand, stifling a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You two," Legolas gasped between laughs. "Just the way you fight with each other is cute." Duo gave Heero a sideways glance before throwing his arms around Heero's neck.

"Yep!" Duo grinned. Heero squirmed in Duo's grip. Legolas buried his head in his hands, shaking with uncontrollable laughter. Aragorn put his head on Legolas's shoulder, unable to control his amusement.

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The rest of the day passed, Legolas, Aragorn, Duo, and Heero traveling mostly together. Most of their classes were the same. And so the final bell rang, releasing them from school for a blessed 16 hours before returning to that hellhole. Duo bounced down the steps, his braid flying behind him, and leaned on the railing to wait for Heero.

"179 days left," Duo said. Heero grunted.

"You're counting?" Heero arched an eyebrow.

"I'll lose count eventually, but I'm ready to be rid of this." He and Heero started the trek across the parking lot towards the bus stop. Both of them easily sidestepped the passing cars that didn't notice them and jumped back from those that almost ran them over. But they reached the bus stop in one piece.

And across the parking lot, Legolas and Aragorn were facing about the same predicament.

"You know, Duo and Heero were pretty nice, don't cha think? Duo was pretty...talkative, to be sure," Legolas said. Aragorn nodded.

"But still..."

"I know, but loosen up Aragorn. Let's get to know them better, what do you say? I believe that they could be good friends to have." Aragorn sighed. He put an arm around Legolas's waist.

"Legolas, I..." Legolas reached up, setting his finger to Aragorn's lips.

"Don't worry about it. I haven't lost sight of anything yet. So just, let things take their course. It's not like we're on any time limit here." Aragorn grumbled under his breath, but he could not argue with Legolas. Legolas grinned, raising his hand in greeting to a figure that was waving at him near the bus stop.

"Hey, Duo!" he called. He and Aragorn broke away from each other before joining Duo and Heero.

Fifteen minutes later, the bus pulled up. The four students boarded it, as usual, and found their seats near the back. Duo and Legolas chatted to each other about something or another, and Heero had buried himself in a notebook, scribbling something down. Aragorn turned his attention to a TV at the front of the bus, one that had been silent in the morning but was now blaring news. Something important had happened somewhere or another, but since the driver didn't want any more noise then needed, it only had captions on. Aragorn leaned forward but he could not make out the words. It showed images of a colony, and Aragorn shrugged. Probably nothing important then.

The bus stopped, pulling in front of Legolas and Aragorn's apartment. They waved goodbye to Heero and Duo and left. Duo leaned back in his chair.

"What were you two talking about?" Heero asked. Duo peered over Heero's shoulder at the notebook.

"Only if you show me what you're writing." Heero slammed the book shut. "Aww, come on Heero. We're a couple remember? You shouldn't hide things from me."

"I'll let you see it when I'm done," Heero retorted. Duo threw up his hands.

"You always say that, and you know what? I haven't seen anything, nothing! But I guess I shouldn't complain."

"No, you shouldn't." And so the rest of the ride went, Duo sometimes rambling on about a topic with Heero listening, sometimes making a comment, but most of the time not saying anything in particular. Most of the time it was like that. Heero was never very talkative, but it was enough for Duo, enough to make him happy, and Heero was pleased being able to listen as he did. And so their life went on in that way.

The bus slowed to a halt, and both of them exited. Duo half-skipped to the steps, Heero following behind him. They made their way up three flights of stairs before reaching their apartment. Duo unlocked the door.

The first sound that greeted him was the buzzing of their phone. Duo cursed and rushed into his bedroom. _Well, that's some timing,_ Duo thought. Heero followed idly behind him. Duo grabbed the doorframe to round the corner before jumping onto his bed and digging through his junk to find the screen. He pressed a button beside it, and a very familiar face popped up.

"Hey, wait...that's you, isn't it? Hey, Trowa! Long time, no see. How are things for you, up in the colonies, I suppose? It's been a year, hasn't it? Hey, Heero, come here! Trowa just gave us a call." Heero sat down beside Duo, but unlike Duo, who was still grinning, his face darkened.

"What's wrong, Trowa?" Heero asked. Only then did Duo stop. He noted the long streaks on Trowa's cheeks, streaks from tears. His eyes were red and puffy; he looked as if he had been crying for quite a while. Duo closed his mouth. Trowa, crying? He was such a stoic boy, more so then Heero, and yet, here he was, shedding tears. There was only one thing that Duo could guess that would make him cry like that.

"What's Quatre done?" Duo asked. Trowa hung his head, shaking with sobs.

"Nothing...he hasn't done anything...no...But..." Heero leaned closer.

"Trowa, what is it?" Trowa shook his head from side to side. He was crying again, unable to control himself.

"Look on your TV. The news should be there. I..." The screen went blank with a click. Duo stared at it for a moment, but Heero was already moving, back to the living room. He turned on the TV, and Duo could barely make out the noise from it. He threw the phone to the ground with a sigh.

"Hey, Duo, come in here now," Heero commanded. Duo stood up slowly, dragging his feet in the room. He stood behind Heero, his elbows resting on the back of the chair, and watched the screen. His eyes went wide, and his body began to shake as he heard more and more.

"It...no, that can't be true," he said. And as if the newscaster heard him, they repeated the first phrase over again.

"In world news, Quatre Reberba Winner, heir to the Winner family fortune was assassinated today in his home in the colonies..." The rest of the sound faded as Duo buried his head in his hands.

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Hm, that's a record for me. A main character already offed in the first chapter. Well, if you want to find out more you'll just have to keep on reading.

This story was betaed by my wonderful beta Eilonwy4! Arigatou!!!!

And once, again, I beseech you to PLEASE review this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Duo's hand tensed on the couch, and he whispered the words over to himself. His legs felt weak, and he could barely see the screen, his head throbbing like it was. Images of Quatre floated before his eyes, the blond boy smiling up at Duo, the days they spent in Quatre's desert mansion, his laughter, his tears. Quatre, snuggling close to Trowa, Quatre, Quatre, Quatre...

Duo roared in anger. He kicked the table next to him, the wood splintering and sending the lamp on it crashing to the ground. He smashed the lamp into pieces and turned to the next nearest thing, a framed picture he had drawn. It was of the other four Gundam pilots, sitting on a rock outcropping. He tore it from the wall, hurling it to the floor. He tried to kick it, but the wire behind the frame snagged on his foot, and he tumbled to the ground among the glass. The shards bit into his hands and arms, blood trickling to the floor. Tears welled in his eyes, and he yelled again, cursing the world around him.

"Duo!" Heero cried, clamping his hand over Duo's mouth. Duo bit Heero's hand, but Heero did not withdraw it. "Duo, please, be quiet. Duo, calm down before you break down the whole house." Heero's voice shook as he said this, and without warning he pulled Duo close to him. Duo let out the sobs inside of him and cried on Heero's shoulder, clutching the Japanese boy to him tightly. The anger around him faded, giving way simply to grief.

"Why?" Duo cried. "Why?" Heero stroked Duo's hair, smoothing it back from his face. He blinked tears from his eyes, and they slid down his cheeks to drip onto Duo's head. Duo looked up, and wept all the harder.

"I don't know," Heero replied. He closed his eyes, and there, holding Duo in his arms surrounded by broken glass in their quaint little apartment with one of their fellow pilots suddenly dead he felt...helpless. He could do nothing to change it, nothing to correct it, could not bring about a consequence better from it. It _was_, and there was no changing that, no matter how much strength Heero had.

Duo fought to say more, but he couldn't, through his tears. Instead he made a pathetic whimpering sound, and Heero let out his first sob after shedding so many silent tears. He could make out the sound of the news in the background, drifting around them to solidify their tears.

"...killed by poison in his tea, though the substance is not identified yet..." Duo wailed, before falling silent. He closed his eyes, moaning, but his eyes were dry, the tears all but spent. Heero lifted him from the pile of glass, standing himself, and took Duo to the back bedroom. He set his lover on the bed, smoothing back Duo's hair from his face. Duo seized Heero's hand, clutching it tight.

_He really is...so fragile. _Ever since the end of the war, Duo had let his guard down, freeing the emotions he kept locked away during the war, but even then it was only around Heero. Still, he had never seen Duo this weak before, so broken. He had shed tears, laughed, hidden in depression, but never like this.

Heero tried to pull free, but Duo whined, and Heero could do nothing but settle next to Duo. He took Duo in his arms, and there they fell asleep, their heads swimming with the thoughts of Quatre, and the sudden, unexplained assassination of their dear friend and comrade.

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By the time Duo woke, it was midnight. There was a light on by his bedside, and Heero was gone. Duo looked around. This was strange...Heero never woke in the middle of the night, unless there was some type of danger. And why did he smell food cooking? Duo untangled himself from the sheets and made his way to the kitchen.

Heero was sitting at the table, a can of soda in his hand, a half eaten sandwich on a plate in front of him. Next to him was another sandwich, untouched.

"I cooked for you, if you want food," he growled. Duo sat beside Heero, but he pushed the plate away and drank his own soda.

"Not hungry," he replied. Heero shrugged, took another swig of his soda, and threw the can towards the trash. It hit the rim and bounced away. "So," Duo whispered, "Did it really...I mean, that wasn't a dream was it? With Quatre and all?" Heero shook his head.

"Go check the news again if you want. It's still all over the headlines. And Trowa called about an hour ago, still crying..." Heero gulped back a lump in his throat. His conversation with Trowa had been more to comfort the distraught Trowa. Heero tried to get him to move, do something, but Trowa said he had been at Quatre's house all of that time, which, in Heero's eyes, was bad judgment. He could end up dead himself. But Trowa had only left once, and that was to visit the body of Quatre, now that they had finished analyzing it.

"Why Quatre?" Duo looked up. "Why was it Quatre?" he repeated. "I mean, of all of us, Quatre goes first. And probably all for the reason of money. Someone wants his money, so now he's dead. Dead! What had he ever done to deserve that? Of all of us, he deserves death the least." Heero said nothing. "But now's he's dead." Duo laughed a short bark of a laugh. "Almost funny, ya know? Here he lives through war after war, and now, two years into peace, he's killed by...a poison in his tea!" Heero almost shied away from the look in Duo's eyes. "Killed by goddamn tea, Heero, tea!" He slammed his fist on the table. "It's not fair, dammit!"

"He loved tea," Duo finished, his voice no more then a whisper. Heero looked up from where he had been studying the table. "Love and death, death and love...now Quatre's gone, slipped away, the first of us to go. I always assumed we would die young...but..." Heero's itched to reach out, hold Duo, still his shaking and quiet his maniacal words, but he dared not move, unless he broke Duo's thoughts into even more pieces then they were in.

"So, what should we do? His funeral will probably be in the colonies, but we can't go up there, but I don't want to miss..." Duo choked on a sob, and Heero shook his head.

"We can wait and see. Maybe we can leave, just for a day or so," Heero said softly. Duo nodded. His eyelids were heavy and the room blurred around him. He slipped forward in the chair, and Heero grabbed him. He lifted Duo into his arms, and Duo grabbed Heero's soft shirt, his eyes closed.

"So tired," Duo whispered. Heero nodded. He pulled back the sheets on the bed and set Duo down before crawling in himself. Duo was already snoring softly, a few tears collecting on his eyelashes. Heero blinked at his own tears, but they came again, a strong torrent of sobs. He gripped Duo to him and cried himself to sleep, for the first time in almost all of his life.

And so they slept, shedding their tears until dreams took them. Morning came, the light falling on the sleeping couple in their bed. Birds cried outside, and a harsh wind rattled the trees in back of the apartment. But neither stirred. It was not until around noon that they woke from their slumber. The alarm clock had beeped at both of them steadily, every half hour, and that was what woke Heero now. He sat up in bed, eyes wide, hearing the beeping. It sounded so much like the bombs in his dreams, as he and Quatre ran through corridors, trapped, and Quatre died at every turn and...

He hit the alarm. Duo stirred next to him, moaning for Heero to come back, but Heero was awake. Sure, he felt horrible, his limbs heavy and his head clouded, as if he had cried himself to sleep, which, as he recalled, he had. Heero slid his legs off the bed and stood, stretching. God, he was stiff.

"Heero?" Duo called. "Heero, where are you going?" He sat up, the covers falling around him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them, if only for a little while. He stood behind Heero, wrapping his arms around the Japanese boy. He rested his head on Heero's shoulder.

"Come on," Heero said. "We should get some food. You feel like eating?" Duo shrugged. He followed Heero into the kitchen, never far from his lover. But once he came to the table, he sat down, and Heero dug through the cabinets for food.

"Soup sound good?"

"Sure." Heero's brow furrowed as he studied Duo. The light in his eyes was dimmed, and he looked so pale, paler then usual. He sat with his head bowed, hands in front of him, and his hair hung limp around his face. At least last night Duo had been talking. Heero knew that Duo and Quatre had been very close to each other, but now he wondered how deep of a blow this really was to Duo. Heero felt pain, of course. He shook his head and turned around, grabbing the can of soup.

When it was done, Heero set the two steaming bowls at the table. He grabbed a soda for himself, but Duo shook his head. Duo picked up the spoon and stirred his soup, lifting it up then pouring it back into the bowl.

"I don't know if I'm that hungry. I still don't feel like eating," Duo said. Heero pulled his spoon from his mouth, swallowing.

"Duo, you should eat."

"It makes me feel too alive," Duo said. "When one I knew is now dead. Hey, don't worry, man. I usually get back to eating eventually. At least, that's what happened in the past." Duo fell silent, and Heero shrugged. To both of them, the past was...the past, so they never asked about that. So, whenever Duo mentioned the past, Heero would keep silent, and if Heero ever hinted at something from his early years, Duo would laugh and change the subject. Except now, it appeared that the past had begun its awful cycle again, bringing the death into the present.

"Do you want my soup, Heero?" Heero shook his head.

"We can just save it until you want it. But really..."

"I don't feel like eating," Duo spat. He got up from the table. "I'm going out, Heero. I'll probably be home later. Right now, I need to be alone." He stormed out of the kitchen. Heero heard the door in the hallway slam, and silence descended on the apartment. Heero shook his head. Somewhere, he could hear a clock ticking, counting away the seconds. And maybe the occasional creak of a floorboard, but there was no one here. The clock ticked on, ceaselessly, as Heero sat still. His insides churned as he stood. Quatre was dead, and Duo had gone, leaving Heero here alone. He stumbled into the den and fell back on the couch.

When was the last time Duo ever sounded like that? In these two years, he and Heero had been inseparable. But...but maybe it wasn't the case. That look in Duo's eyes when he left, he almost seemed to be pleading with Heero to follow. He would probably call from a pay phone somewhere for Heero to get him soon. Or he would walk in within the hour.

Heero turned on the radio next to the couch and flipped through the stations. The news was almost always covering the death of Quatre, which Heero couldn't bear to hear more of, and the music playing made him sick. Finally, he found a station and turned the music low, leaning back on the couch. He needed to rest some more, not sleep, but rest.

"Dammit," Heero muttered, sitting up. The realization hit him that he had not called into school to excuse their absence. He should call, but he couldn't trust himself to speak too much without his voice wavering, or for his legs to support him long enough to get to the phone. So he fell back on the couch.

The phone rang.

Heero groaned and rolled off the couch. It was only in the other room, but he didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to see any smiling faces. He wanted to rest, clear his mind, wait for Duo. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to talk. Heero clicked the button on the phone, and Hilde's face appeared on the screen.

"Is Duo there?" she said. She sounded out of breath, frantic, and only then did he notice that she was calling from a public phone. Heero shook his head.

"He went out for a walk," he responded. Hilde sighed, closed her eyes. "But if you have a message for him..."

"I was wondering if he saw the news." Heero checked his anger at the statement. Of course he saw the news! How could he miss it? "Hey, Heero, you okay? You look a little pale."

"I was sleeping," he growled. Hilde made an "oh" with her mouth.

"Well, you can go back to sleep now. But just tell Duo that I'm sorry about what happened. It's so..." There was a click, and Heero watched the screen go blank. He lifted his hand from the "end" button, eyes closed. He didn't want to hear from anyone like that, who would speak apologies over the "tragic death," even if it was Hilde who said it. He knew Duo would yell at him for hanging up on Hilde, but he couldn't stand to hear any voice.

Heero looked back to the living room, but the couch was so far, so he just fell on the bed. The music drifted around him, barely audible over the tick of the clock and the rush of the wind outside his window. _Am I falling asleep again? _Heero wondered as he closed his eyes. He had not slept so much in years, slept like this, hour after hour. But he couldn't help but want the comforting blackness of his mind, where dreams fled from him and he slept in peace. In sleep at least he could escape.

Heero rolled over, and his mind went blank as sleep overtook him once more.

----------

"I wonder what happened to Duo and Heero," Legolas said as he left the school building. Aragorn shrugged. "I bet they just woke up late and didn't come," Legolas continued, looking up at the trees. He stretched and sauntered through the parking lot.

"Who knows," Aragorn responded. Legolas smiled, and as they rounded the corner he wrapped an arm around Legolas's shoulders. Legolas smiled and snuggled closer to Aragorn. "But I doubt they would do that on the second day." Legolas chuckled.

"You're probably right." They stopped at the bus stop, but Legolas tugged on Aragorn's arm. "Come on, Aragorn," he said. "Let's just walk home. I need time in the open." Aragorn groaned as Legolas dragged him along. There was a smile on Legolas's face as he walked through the streets, and Aragorn straightened out, walking beside his lover. Legolas looked up and hummed a tune under his breath.

"You're always singing, you know that? Or humming," Aragorn commented. Legolas shrugged.

"That's just how I am," he said, latching onto Aragorn's arms. "Do you have a problem with it? I mean, I have to keep my head somehow." Aragorn rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that! You know it's true. Even you have ways to keep yourself sane. Come on, don't tell me that's not the reason that you fence."

"I don't need that," he said. Legolas groaned and walked in front of Aragorn, skipping backwards.

"Then what's with fencing? You do that so you can..." Aragorn growled and turned down another path, leading towards the park. Legolas fell into stride beside him. "Well, it's true," he whispered. "I'm just stating that again, for you, so maybe you'd understand."

"I do, don't worry," Aragorn said. Rounding another bend, they were in sight of the park, its front gate waiting for them, the sign shining in the afternoon. There were very few people in it now, a scattering of young children on the playground, a few adults congregated with each other. Legolas scampered inside.

"Hey, Aragorn, isn't that Duo over there, on the swings?" Aragorn followed the direction of Legolas's outstretched arm, and sure enough, he caught sight of a braid swinging behind a figure that looked too large for the swing. Its head was bowed, the shoulders hunched, and Duo's braid swung idly from side to side as he moved.

"He looks sad," Legolas whispered. "Hey, Duo, how ya doing?" he shouted. Duo looked up from the ground to watch the progress of his companions. Legolas smiled at him, and Duo gave him a grin. "You doing okay?'

"Yeah, life's great," Duo said. He scuffed the ground with his boot, watching the particles of sand drift onto the black toe and collect on its shiny surface. Tears crept into the edges of his eyes. "Everything's damn fine." Legolas followed his boot moving as he gulped back the lump in his throat. "Yep, great, if you exclude my dead friend and all..."

"What?" Legolas whispered. Duo smirked.

"Yeah, dead friend, that's right. No, it's not Heero, just so you don't ask. If Heero died I'd have a bleeding wrist right now. But yeah, one of my friend's was assassinated, if you must know." Aragorn's grip tightened on Legolas; Legolas closed his eyes in hopes to block out Duo's image.

"Do they know who?" Aragorn said. Legolas shot him a glare.

"Nope, no idea," Duo said. Aragorn nodded slowly, contemplating. "Not that they'll find out. I mean, poison in his tea!" Duo rested his head in his hands. "Don't you understand? God, I feel like shit."

"Listen, I'm sorry," Legolas whispered. "That must be hell. I'm sorry, I really am." Duo said simply "hn," a habit picked up from Heero. Silence descended over them, only broken by the soft sobbing of Duo as he attempted to cover it.

"You don't have to hide," Legolas said, kneeling in front of Duo. Duo shook his head, hiding his red eyes behind his bangs, but two arms wrapped around him, and he found himself burying his head in Legolas's shoulder. "I know we only met yesterday, but you don't have to fear us. I'm here right now, Duo, so I'll help you. I've...I have lost friends before and understand your pain." Duo wept to himself, buried in Legolas's shoulder while Legolas shot glares in Aragorn's direction.

"What?' Aragorn mouthed. He turned away to study the children playing. They shouted and swung upon the bars, sliding down slides with each other, laughing, the small faces lit up by their joy. And the playground held beneath them, all those children running about it, but it suffered no damage. It was stable enough to support them.

"Hey, thanks," Duo was saying. Aragorn returned his gaze to Legolas and Duo, both of which stood. "Listen, I think I should head home; Heero's probably worried about me by now, and I need to get some sleep."

"We can walk you home," Legolas said, but a hand fell on his arm, and Aragorn stepped between them.

"I'm sorry, Duo, and I would love to guide you home, but we some obligations this evening. We can get you to a bus stop, though..."

"No, I'll walk," Duo said. He managed a smile, his violet eyes brightening, before the gloss of tears covered them again. "You two go on." He turned and shuffled away, his feet dragging across the sand to the sidewalk and down, hands stuffed in his pockets. His shoulders hunched as Legolas had never seen in Duo, his back bent, his braid limp. It swayed around his legs with little life, and his bangs clung to his head.

"What?' Legolas spat, glowering as Aragorn pulled him away.

"You're too involved," he whispered. "Let's get out of here and back home. I have some calls to make." He let go of Legolas's arm and stalked off towards the bus stop. Legolas shook his head in the direction of the trees, before sprinting after him.

----------

"Heero, I'm back," Duo called as he entered the apartment. Heero was sprawled across the couch, his mouth partly open, sound asleep. Tucked under one arm was a pillow. Duo smiled and curled up on top of Heero, resting his head on Heero's chest. The even heartbeat calmed him, stilled his tears, that sweet beating rumbling throughout him as Heero slumbered.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier," Duo whispered. His eyelids drooped as the beating continued. "But I'm back, back with you." He yawned and reached back to his braid, searching for the end. He pulled the rubber-band free, letting the strands run through his hair and down his back. Satisfied, Duo stretched and closed his eyes to sleep, Heero's warmth covering him, the steady beating of his heart enough to calm Duo into his first peaceful sleep since Quatre's death.

--------------------

Well, hello to those that are reading this! I hope you liked that chapter! It took me a while to write. I don't know why, but it was much harder then the first chapter (which took me about a day...).

Well, more will me coming, don't worry! Writer's block is gone, for I have drowned myself in enough caffeine to last a lifetime, so expect a chapter by the end of the month...wait, make that next month, since this one's almost up! Hehehe...anyway, 'till next time!

Please review!


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